Aspen Rea
by DarkMoonGoddess
Summary: Sequel to my other fic, Cat Assassin. This time: When Aspen is sick from a flood of memories, Kurama visits her in the nurse's office. Some... interesting things happen. (Non-Mary-Sue) R
1. Chapter 1

DMG: Hello, everybody! Yes, it's me again. You asked for another OC for Kurama…well, here it is! I couldn't fit her in to my other fic, Cat Assassin. (please read it and review, its not that bad) This is the sequel. Like all of my Chapter 1's, I have a lot to say to start out with… 

First ~ I have no intentional similarities to any other fics and their ideas. If you see any, please remember that I haven't read EVERY fic out there, and if I have read it, consider it a subconscious complement.  

Second ~ I have done something I said I would never do. I used a whole slew of borrowed names (for me, that is) from my other stories and from a few books… The name Atuan is from the Earthsea books by Ursula K. Le Guin. If you like to read, you should read these books, I would recommend them. (Hey, if I'm gonna borrow names I might as well do a bit of promotion as well hehe) The name Kiche is from White Fang by Jack London (another highly recommended book) it's also my cat's name… ^_^;; The name Aspen is from one of my original stories, uh, I guess that has no real significance…oh well, I'm rambling. 

Third ~ I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho! Ha! Bet you didn't know that!

Fourth ~ Now that I have thoroughly bored you, scroll down and READ!!!!!! (And at the end, please click that nice little purple review button and send me a comment ~ no flames please, I get enough of those from my precious little fire youkai ^____^)

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

More than a thousand years before Yusuke Urameshi even dreamed of throwing his first punch, the Makai was an even wilder place than it is during the time of out favorite Spirit Detectives. Few demons dared tread the paths of the demon world for fear of the ruthless cutthroats that lurked there. Only the strongest and bravest (and maybe the most foolish) ventured out alone. It is in this dismal setting that we find a relatively young demoness (according to the reckoning of her kind) staring down a fork in the road. Her name was Atuan…    

Atuan glared down both paths despairingly, then back at her outdated map. She sighed. Atuan hated all such places, as an old soothsayer woman had once told her that she would make a fatal decision at a fork that would lead to her death. Of course, the "fork" might be figurative, but all the same, they made her nervous. 

          She breathed deeply then took stepped down the left route. There was a…presence…that way that…called her…if that was possible. Perhaps that should have warned her of impending fate, but, as stated before, she was a relatively young demoness. 

          It was a pleasant enough walk, with rare Makai sunlight streaming through the branches of trees with interesting toothed leaves…Aspens, they were called. 

          Atuan was beginning to consider stopping for lunch and maybe nap for a while in the sun…it shone so seldom, now. Atuan nearly laughed. She had all day, and all of the next day, and the next. She had no mission, no purpose except to see all of the Makai, from the snowy Koorime country to wherever the fire demons lived. She let her thoughts wander freely…

Atuan was considered beautiful, even among the demonesses, who were all considered gifted. She had silky black hair with reddish-blue highlights that fell to her waist. Her eyes were a deep, dark, purple of a shade not seen often, if ever, anywhere else. Her skin was smooth and pale, typical of a demoness. Atuan was of average height and had a nice figure.

          She was quite skilled with daggers and knives, and also with a wide variety of weapons ranging from a whip to a sword. But she always preferred the knives. Her youki was equal to an A-class demon, impressive if she did say so herself. 

          Naturally, all these qualities had he-demons constantly knocking at her den. None of them satisfied her, and their unwanted attention was part of the reason she left her den the year before. The other part could probably be called the restlessness of youth, the need to explore and to do something worthwhile. 

          Atuan had one major fault, in the eyes of the other youkai. She belonged to no one breed of demons. She was of all elements and none, and all animals and none. This came from being so many times a crossbreed. The original characteristics were just washed out. However, her doubtful lineage gave Atuan an advantage. She had no major weakness. Of course, she had no major strength either, but a demoness could live with that. 

(That was the closest I've come to ever making a character a Mary-Sue. Ever. Don't review and complain about it.)  

Most of the afternoon passed peacefully enough, with only the occasional fight with a low class demon. But unfortunately, it couldn't last long. As she turned a slight bend in the road, Atuan felt several presences, each with a youki stronger than hers by a fair margin. There were about five. Atuan thought quickly, fight or flight? Naturally flight, with odds like that, but fight was an ingrained part of demon nature. Atuan decided to lay flat among the bushes lining the side of the road, then mask her youki so they wouldn't notice her. 

          As she leaped, she heard loud voices approaching quickly. Too late! Maybe they would still pass her over. 

          "Hey, what was that?" a loud drunken guttural voice asked.

          Atuan snarled silently as the demon approached closer to her hiding place. 

          "It's coming from over there."

          Too late Atuan remembered to shield her youki. The demon came closer. Before his hand touched the leaves to brush them aside, Atuan burst out of hiding with a wordless yell and threw herself on him. He was dead before he knew what hit him. But his companions were another story. There were more of them than she thought. Now her estimate totaled ten. 

          Atuan didn't hesitate. If this was the end, then they better damn well believe she was going to go down fighting!

* ~ *

Youko Kurama strode down a pleasant little path in a fine bad temper. A recent raid that had gone very badly was the source of his annoyance. Sure, he had gotten away with the treasure and only a few singed tail hairs, but those few hairs galled! He knew finesse would come with age and only age, but that didn't stop his ears from twitching with irritation. Already he had made a name for himself in the bandit underworld, but a simple reputation wasn't enough! He would be the _best there __ever was_! _Youko Kurama would not settle for anything less. But someone to vent on would be nice._

          Youko was thinking along these lines when the sound of combat not far off reached his ears. The scent and youki told him it was a moderately strong demoness fighting about ten stronger demons. His ears practically stood up straight with indignation. That just wasn't right! 

          In his later years, Youko Kurama would abandon most of these ideals about fair fights, but right now, he felt the demons shouldn't be picking on a lone demoness. Besides, it was an excuse for a good fight to get rid of stress. (Not that he thought this, *cough* but a demoness-in-distress might be very grateful for rescuing. Youko liked demonesses. Apparently, they liked him too.)

          Youko bounded swiftly in the direction of the fighting. 

* ~ *

Atuan was tiring quickly. She had lost far too much blood to have any hope of survival, but she battled blindly on, powered by the adrenaline rush through her body. 

          Demons fell to her blades, but more always kept coming. Through her fading consciousness Atuan saw a silver blur scatter the remaining demons. Every one of them fell to a strange plant on the arm of the most beautiful kitsune she had ever seen. Then her world fuzzed into black. 

* ~ *

When Atuan slowly opened her eyes, she was propped up against one of the aspen trees that lined the path. The setting sun was beginning to cast long shadows on the ground, and the strange and beautiful kitsune was still staring at her. 

          He spoke, and his voice was just as beautiful and deep as his face. "I suppose it would not surprise you to learn that you will not survive the hour?"

          "It would not," she agreed. Then she laughed, coughing up blood. "I guess the damn old woman was right, then."

          In response to his questioning look, she said, "Just something someone said to me, once." It surprised her how well she could still talk. 

          "Does it upset you, to know?"

          Her lips curved upwards. "No." She had always thought she would be afraid, but now she simply felt…peaceful. 

          They lapsed into silence. 

          Youko made a move as if to get up. 

          "Wait." He turned. Her eyes had been closed so long he had almost thought…well, never mind. "If you have no need to go, I would very much like it if you would stay. I have no wish to die alone."

          "The life of a demon is to be alone," he reminded her gently. 

          She smiled. "In life, yes. But no one deserves to die alone."

          "I will stay." She nodded, a slight gesture. 

          Youko gently pulled her onto his lap. "How are you called?"

          "Atuan. Atuan Rea."

          "Youko Kurama."

          "I have heard your name. I did not think our paths should ever cross, Youko Kurama." Suddenly she laughed again, coughing up more blood. 

          It occurred to Youko that he had never heard a demoness really laugh before, in amusement at some hidden irony that only she could see. It was almost eerie hearing that sound from the mouth of a fated and dying woman. 

          Only a few moments later Atuan sighed and let her head loll, a faint smile still gracing her lips. Her body was bathed in the golden light of a dying red sun, and her soul fled on the wings of the first dark shadows of the night.  

          Youko tarried that night under the tree, having no fear of the site where death had visited. In time the exact memory of that moment would fade away, leaving only a faint trace of Atuan Rea, who he had barely known. 

* ~ *

Atuan floated in an endless black void. Was this death? She did not feel dead. She was only a bodiless entity now, able to think and be aware with out using any senses. It was an odd feeling. She saw tiny pinpricks of light in the distance. They looked like stars, but she felt them to be souls of others like her. 

          But there were not many, considering how many had died over the course of forever. Was she a ghost? No, ghosts haunted the living world. She did not. Atuan knew she could puzzle it out. After all, she had an eternity. 

          Those of the Void had no reckoning of time, and forever reflected on their lives, drawing conclusions and being baffled by mysteries. Atuan only knew that many, many years in the living world had gone by when she was abruptly jerked into oblivion. 

DMG: Didja like it? I had fun writing it. Nice cliffhanger, yes? I don't do that often. Now is the time to press that nice little button so you can review and tell me what you thought!


	2. Chapter 2

DMG: Just read. I don't own YYH.

* ~ *

Aspen stepped off the plane with an air of mixed apprehension and excitement. She took a deep breath and walked on. After all, she had agreed to this in the first place. Well, agreed wasn't exactly the word, she admitted to herself, She had practically _leaped at the chance to be an exchange student to Japan for a whole year. _

          Her parents hadn't come with her, thankfully. She was looking forward to a _lot of freedom, this year. Not that she wasn't used to coping on her own; her parents had often gone on long business trips back home. Weeks at a time, in fact. So they sent her enough money to live comfortably in a small apartment. _

          School started in one week. That gave her just enough time to get nicely settled and partly aquatinted with this city. Yes, it was going to be fun. 

* ~ * 

The week passed very quickly to Aspen. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of a class of bored-looking students listening to the teacher introduce her. 

          "…Aspen Rea, an exchange student from America…" Aspen could tell most of the students were tuning it out, just as she was. But a number of the girls were glaring at her as if they wanted to dispose of her right there and now, Aspen was pretty, she knew, as some had even gone so far as to call her beautiful, but that didn't warrant this hostility. Unless there was a guy involved…That was intriguing. None of the guys in this class looked worth it. 

          "…So please make her feel welcome," the teacher finished. Aspen swept her cool gray-eyed gaze over the classroom one more time before taking a seat in the back corner, where she could observe everything, but be seen only with a difficult and blatant twist of the head. Strangely, the girls managed it, and only continued to look even more murderous when they saw where she sat. Yes, there was definitely a guy involved. Plain mad, that. Aspen didn't 

see how ANY guy could be worth this. 

A/N; Obviously, she hasn't met Kurama… 

The morning passed uneventfully. Luckily, since it was the first day of school, the teachers went easy on the homework. Surprisingly, one of the girls who had glared that morning came up to her and offered her a seat at their table. Aspen figured she had nothing to lose, so accepted, 

          As soon as Aspen sat down at the end, she got an immediate feeling of being on trial. The fact that the girl who had spoken to her took out a gavel and banged it on the table like a judge did nothing to improve her impression. 

          The girl spoke. "My name is Mariko," she began. "I am the President of the Shuuichi Minamino Fan Club." She looked meaningfully at Aspen, as if she was supposed to know who the hell Shuuichi Minamino was. "We have decided, through careful deliberation, that you may be allowed to enter, and follow our rules."

          Only through stern self-discipline was Aspen able to keep a straight face. As it was, Aspen was afraid her eyes were threatening to pop out of her head. She wanted to laugh out loud. This guy had the nerve to have a FAN CLUB?! "I don't even know Shuuichi Minamino," she protested. 

          She was bombarded instantly by descriptions from girls with wide chibi eyes. "…gorgeous green eyes…" "…beautiful red hair…" "…smartest guy in the whole school…" She cut them off with a wave. 

          "I don't think I could join a club obsessed with a _guy, even if he were the most wonderful person in the world. Don't you see? That puts him on a level far above you. You will never be able to get him if you think like that. He's only human, after all."_

          If Aspen thought they glared before, it was nothing to the death stares they gave her now. Just then the bell rang, signifying the end of the lunch period. 

          "You make me sad," Mariko intoned. "This meeting is adjourned." 

          Aspen stalked off, shaking her head. Those girls were completely mad! 

* ~ *

          Kurama dropped onto his bed, exhausted. This last mission had been an involved one, requiring the team's maximum strength. He had even missed the first day of school!

          "Honestly, Kurama," Kai said. "You're just missing one single day, it isn't any big deal."

          'I suppose not," he replied. "I just am afraid I'll have to catch up on all the work."

          "Ningens are very strange," said Hiei, who was sitting on the windowsill. "I don't know why you bother with this school thing, Kurama."

          Kurama just shook his head, too tired to explain again to his demon friends about school, and other ningen things. "Youkai are about as strange to ningens as ningens are to youkai" was his only answer, muffled by the pillow. 

          Hiei opened his mouth to argue, but Kai stopped him with a he's-tired-so-don't-bother-him look. "Kurama, we won't get back to the Makai tonight, so can we stay at your place?" she asked.

          "Yes, go ahead."

          "Thanks."

* ~ *

The next day, Aspen started out early for school, feeling surprisingly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. The plan was to hang out in front of the school and try to meet some new people besides those crazy girls. That plan didn't last long.

          "Hey you! Over there!" someone shouted in her direction.

          "Me?" Aspen asked innocently, pointing to her chest.

          "Yes you. Now look, we don't like hitting pretty girls, so just give us everything you have."

          Aspen sighed. Now who was she to deny them what they asked for? She grinned evilly, then proceeded to give the thugs a sound pounding. "Well, you did ask," she said, just as innocently as before. 

          Someone whistled. "Not bad," said a flippant voice. 

          Aspen whirled. "And who might you be?"

          "The great Urameshi Yusuke," he said with that infuriating grin. 

          "I have heard them talking about you," she laughed. "They make you sound like some monster. But actually, I think you're not that bad." 

          "They're just jealous. Who are you?"

          "Aspen Rea," she said, holding out her hand. 

          "Great," he said. "You got time?"

          "Actually, no, I have to get to school," she replied. "What are you doing, skipping?"

          He laughed and shrugged it off. "See ya around."

          "Bye." Still in a good mood, Aspen hurried off to school.

          School passed much the same as it had the day before. There were more people in school, she realized, than Shuuichi Minamino's crazy fanclub. 

          Aspen met a few people she could easily call friends, named Katsura and Mira. They explained to her about the appeal of Shuuichi Minamino, and said that she would understand better once she met him. Apparently, he had come late to school, and missed his morning classes. Aspen laughed, saying she had met pretty boys in her life. 

          Teachers didn't give homework the first day of school, but starting on the second day, they piled the workload high. Aspen hurried late outside after school, detained by well-meaning guidance counselors (ah! The horror!) asking her if she was coping, and weighed down by numerous heavy textbooks.   

          She tripped on the last step outside the school, sending her bag of books flying and her sprawling. She was about to pull herself off the pavement when she saw a hand in front of her face, offering to help.

          "Thanks," she mumbled, dusting herself off. "I'm a bit of a klutz sometimes." Looking up, Aspen very nearly did a double take. She was staring into great pools of mournful green, truly some of the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. A girl could drown in eyes like those. Seeing the red hair, Aspen realized who this must be. "I take it you are Shuuichi Minamino?"

          "I am." Even his voice could make female hearts melt. 

          "Well then, Shuuichi Minamino, I am holding you personally responsible for any acts of violence your fan club may commit to me in the near and/or distant future," she said in a severe tone.

          His expression quickly turned to horror. "Oh, no…not them again!"

          "Those girls are positively rabid!" she said.  

          He seemed to regain control of himself beautifully in no time. "I don't believe I've met you before. What is your name?"

          "Aspen Rea. I'm an exchange student from America. Pleased to meet you."

          "Pleasure." 

          Aspen realized Shuuichi was studying her intently, and prepared to preen a little bit. It was kind of fun, in a way. Then she noticed his gaze did not slip one single degree south of her shoulders. In fact, he firmly met her eyes, radiating quiet confidence. This guy was positively a saint!...unless…

          He must have noticed the way her eyes shifted suddenly, studying him as he studied her. "I'm not," he said wryly. 

          "Oh." she blushed and laughed nervously. Then she cocked her head in a most interesting manner. "I'm sorry," she laughed. "I just got the weirdest feeling of déjà vu! But I don't think I've ever met you before!"

          The strange thing was, he felt it too. And for the life of him, Kurama could not think of why. He had never seen penetrating gray eyes like hers before, and the silky black hair that fell just short of her waist was hers too. But why did he feel as if he had met her before? Kurama had the sudden urge to rub his temples. Maybe the demons were right. Maybe he should take a rest. 

          "Well, I really gotta go," she said regretfully. "Gotta get a jump on the homework, ya know!" She turned around and walked off. 

          Kurama stared at her back, wondering what she reminded him of. There! Her walk and figure belonged on a demoness! But she couldn't be…could she? Kurama very nearly groaned. This was going to be one very busy year!

A/N: REVIEW!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!! Or Hiei will come after you with his nice little katana and pretty fire (hehe) ^_^; I hope you liked it, I enjoyed writing it. I hope I'm not moving this along too fast…if it seems like Aspen's thinking about Kurama, well, honestly, who wouldn't? 


	3. Chapter 3

DMG: SORRY FOR THE LOOOOONG DELAY! *makes sad face* 

Kurama: (I'm having him do the disclaimer this time, because, after all, the fic does center on him) DMG does not own Yu Yu Hakusho. However, all original characters (you know who they are) and story plots DO belong to her. But you all knew that anyway. 

DMG: On with the fic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

* ~ *

"Hey!" said Katsura, seeing Aspen approach the school. 

            "Hey," she replied. "Where's Mira?"

            "ACHOO! Hey, was anybody talking about me?" asked the girl in question.

            "You know it can't be good," Katsura teased. They smacked each other with notebooks until Aspen stopped them with a well-aimed textbook that flattened them both.

            "Ouch!"

            "There was no call for that!"

            "Well, well, well, what do we have here?"

            "What do you want, Mariko?" Katsura asked.

            Mariko frowned. "That's President Mariko to you."

            "If you don't want anything, then scat," Aspen said with a flat-eyed stare. Politeness had no effect on these people. 

            "I think you would have a little more respect for the president of the most powerful organization of the school," Mariko replied.

            "You're wrong on a few counts, there," Aspen said evenly. "I have never had any respect for any of the so-called 'powers' in a school. And secondly, even if I did, I won't recognize any organization that harasses people and obsesses over a _guy."_

Mariko's eyes narrowed. "I will ignore the slight to Shuuichi Minamino."

            "What? He's not a guy?" Aspen muttered. Katsura and Mira snickered. 

            Mariko seemed not to hear. "We want you to know that no one outside the club is allowed to talk to him without our permission."

            Aspen resisted the mad urge to laugh hysterically. As it was, the girl was going to provide her with hours of amusement later. 

            "You seem confused. Were you not talking to him approximately twenty minutes after school ended yesterday?"

            Aspen didn't have a reply to this. They spied on him, too? 

            "See that it doesn't happen again." Mariko turned to walk away. 

            "Wait." Aspen's voice had gone incredibly cold. "I don't know who you think you are, but you have _no right _to speak to me like that. If I want to talk to Shuuichi Minamino, you better damn well believe I am going to talk to Shuuichi Minamino."

            "Then I'm afraid it's war," Mariko snapped. 

"What the hell…?" Aspen asked her retreating back.       

"Stark raving mad," said Mira, shaking her head.

"They are in serious need of a shrink, or rabies shots, or something," Aspen muttered. 

"Right," said Katsura. 

* ~ *

            First period was no less than torture to Aspen. Right after she sat down, she knew what had been the source of all those glares at her seat was. She sat right next to Shuuichi Minamino. 

            Aspen cursed softly under her breath. She wanted to AVOID conflict, didn't she? This was complete madness!!! Thankfully, none of the fangirls did anything to her that morning except whisper whenever she passed them in the hallways. Aspen could handle that.

            With the obvious exception of the Shuuichi Minamino Fan Club, life was beginning to settle down for Aspen. Her apartment was neat, she always had food (cooked), and already she was one of the teachers' favorites, mostly because all her homework was turned in on time and she didn't cause trouble. Katsura and Mira were great friends and they more than made up for the other girls. 

            The afternoon passed without a glitch and Aspen was beginning to think it was turning out to be an all right day. It was, except for a disturbing incident during the last period of the day. She was sketching in a small notebook that she slipped under her desk when a teacher walked by, when she happened to turn her head slightly. 

            She caught a flash of silver out of the corner of her eye. She did a brief double take, but all she saw was Shuuichi Minamino, apparently absorbed in his work. What the…? Aspen shook her head. She was probably seeing things. 

            Kurama was still tired out from his last mission. Koenma was going to run the whole team ragged if he kept it up like this. Still, he had work to do, and his mother would worry if he said he wanted to stay home from school. Kurama was almost never sick; demons seldom were. His mother would think it was something serious if he began complaining now. Complaining just wasn't in his nature. 

            This school year was much like the others, except his 'fan club' was beginning to be very pushy. Kurama wished he could control them; it might make the rest of the student population's life much better. But they were likely just to set on him. They were worse than any pack of demons! 

            It seemed they were harassing the exchange student, Aspen, the one who reminded him of a demoness, this time. What a nightmare! Kurama didn't really worry; she seemed like the type of girl that could take care of herself. He just didn't like people making trouble because of him. 

            He had to meet Yusuke and the others that day after school. It appeared they had a minor mission to take care of, a demon that escaped into the human world. Shouldn't be much trouble; the work of one afternoon. All the same, he had to make sure no one followed him. Living a double life was very stressful, for him in a way none of the others would understand. 

            He was thinking along these lines when Aspen suddenly looked at him very strangely. Could she…? No, that was impossible. Unless she was incredibly attuned to the spirit world, she could sense nothing out of the ordinary about him. Still, the matter would take looking into. More work.

            The bell rang, and everyone hurried out of the school. 

            "Tonight, at my place!" Aspen called to Katsura and Mira. 

            "Great!"

            "I'll be there!"

            Smiling to herself, Aspen walked home. Yes, her life was settling down nicely. It wasn't ALL that different from back home, after all. 

            Kurama walked briskly to Yusuke's house, dodging behind trees and slipping down alleys. He didn't need anyone following him, today. What a disaster that would be! He and Yusuke were not even supposed to know each other. 

            Kuwabara was already there when Kurama arrived. The red-haired kitsune glanced quickly around the room; evidently Kai and Hiei would not be assisting on this mission. They weren't needed, exactly, but they were nice company. 

            "Let's get started," said Yusuke. "I want to have some time to myself!"

            "Agreed," said Kurama. 

            "This guy's gonna be no problem," Yusuke began. "He just got here last night or so. Not a high class, luckily."

            "But he could cause some discomfort if left alone," finished Kurama. "Yes, I understand."

            Locating the demon was not hard. He was too inexperienced to mask his low ki, and they found him lurking in a deserted alleyway. 

            "Who are you?" he sneered. He was the run-of –the-mill low-class criminal, ugly and fairly weak. A good blast of the spirit gun should finish him off easily. Not a job for three of the Reiki Tantei. 

            "I think you can handle him, Yusuke," said Kurama, sounding faintly annoyed. 

            "I can!" said Kuwabara.

            "No, we want to finish this quickly," Yusuke argued. "Let me do it." Turning to the demon, he said, "All right, you've got one chance for surrender, scum."

            "Never!" But the demon licked his lips in a nervous manner.

            Almost bored, Yusuke raised his finger. "Too bad," he said, then fired. "Spirit Gun!"

Something flared inside Aspen's awareness that made her stop dead in her tracks. It tickled her memory slightly, but she could not fathom where she felt anything like it before. Hesitating slightly, she ran off in the direction the flare came from. 

            "That takes care of that," Yusuke declared, dusting off his hands. There was nothing left of the demon except for a tiny smudge on the pavement. "Let's get out of here."

            "Right," agreed Kuwabara in his gravelly voice. 

            "Now!" said Kurama.

            "Why?" Yusuke inquired. Then he heard the footsteps too, running hard. They slipped into a shadow and watched. 

            When Aspen reached the site where she thought the 'flare' had come from, there was no one in sight. She let out a disappointed sigh, but ventured down the alleyway to check anyway. The only thing out of the ordinary she saw was a bit of what looked like ashes. Some kid had probably been playing with fire. Drat!

            Kurama and Yusuke let out simultaneous gasps of recognition. 

            "Who is she?" Kuwabara asked.

            "Shhh!" Yusuke hissed.

            "She's still within earshot," said Kurama. When she had finally stalked off in the direction of her apartment, they cautiously stepped out of the shadows to explain. 

            "I only met her once," Yusuke shrugged. "Said her name was Aspen, or something like that. I only remember because I saw some street toughs harassing a girl, so I went over to set them straight, but she had already flattened them."

            Kuwabara looked impressed. 

            "Her name is Aspen. She is an exchange student from America; she goes to my school. I'm surprised to hear that she can fight; she seems pretty quiet in school. I met her yesterday. I thought she might have a good deal of spirit awareness because I caught her looking at me strangely today."

            "Kurama," Yusuke asked, exasperated, "don't ALL the girls look at you in school?"

            Kurama turned slightly red. "But it is too much of a coincidence to assume she just happened to inspect this particular alley shortly after you fired your spirit gun. She was running, she probably started this way as soon as she felt your energy."

            Yusuke thought for a few minutes. "Okay," he said finally. "So she has spirit awareness. That shouldn't be a problem, so just keep an eye on her, Kurama. I'm going to go home to get some rest."

            Kurama nodded. He would watch her. Life just got more complicated.

* ~ *

DMG: Long chapter! Not one of my best, unfortunately. But please review anyway! Pretty please with sugar on top? (Once again, terribly sorry for the delay) *don't hurt me*


	4. Chapter 4

DMG: Hey, I'm back! (No, I'm not dead or anything.) Well it's not like anybody cares anyway. REVIEW PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need reviews! I am soooo depressed right now and they would really cheer me up! No flames please. Since they're so few, I'll get around to answering reviews sometime. 'Cross my heart and hope to die. *drops dead* heh heh, oh well, I have good intentions…

Still don't own it. This is a relatively pointless chapter. *shrugs* oh well. 

* ~ * ~ * ~*

Aspen was finally finishing up with what she considered to be one of the worst days of her entire life. 

*flashback*

            BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

            "@#$%" a voice thick with sleep moaned from beneath a twisted mass of sheets as the pale outstretched arm smacked the 'sleep' button on the offending alarm clock. 

            "Owww…" Aspen groaned, clutching her abdomen. Her body was curled up in a tight ball in an effort to relieve some of the painful cramps. "Just a few more minutes…" With that, she pulled the covers back up over her head, which was throbbing dully. 

            An hour later she woke up to see that she had 20 minutes left to get to school.

            "Kuso…" she stumbled over to the cabinet to grab a Motrin and a quick dose of caffeine.

            With disgust Aspen pulled on a rose-pink sailor outfit, which was the uniform for the school she went to. The color was truly repulsive and clashed horribly with her eyes. 

            After hurriedly pulling her waist-length black hair into a ponytail, she grabbed her bag and ran out the door. 

            Just seconds before the late bell rang, Aspen sunk into her desk chair, gasping for breath.

            She listened in horror as the teacher assigned them 5 pages of Algebra to do that night for homework. She turned to make a sarcastic remark to Katsura, but found her friend was absent. All she was were the mild green eyes of Shuuichi. He didn't look at all upset at the amount of homework they were assigned. Stupid teacher's pet…stupid HOT teacher's pet…

            Her mind kept rambling on, full of pissy thoughts, until the bell finally rang. Aspen was sure the clock was slow.

Gym was no less than torture. 

            "Mile run today class," the jock teacher cheerfully announced. "Timed!"

            "Uh, 'scuse me," said Aspen. "I really don't think I can run today…" her hand was still on her stomach. "I've got cramps." 'If you know what I mean…' she added to herself. 

            He considered. "Just try the best you can," he said. He turned to the rest of the class. "Ready? One, two, three!" He blew the whistle. 

            As she breathlessly completed the second lap, Aspen was cursing every male on the earth to hell and menstrual symptoms. 

            Aspen's normally pale face was beet red when she hurtled through the door of the biology classroom five seconds after the bell. Thankfully, the teacher was talking to another student and didn't notice her late arrival. Small blessings. 

            At least this was biology, one of the better classes… 

            "Today we'll be doing a lab," the friendly-looking teacher announced. "Here are the lab partners…"

            Aspen was paired up with Shuuichi Minamino. She wasn't sure if this was lucky or not; she always had the tendency to blush whenever he was around. However, he was also really nice and a hard worker. Yeah, he was pretty much perfect. 

            "We will be measuring the femur length of these African crickets," the teacher said and produced a bucket of dead GIANT crickets. "Come up and get 8 of them to measure."

            Aspen approached the dread container with a paper towel. The teacher dumped a pile on the paper towel, which was on her hands. "Ewww…" she said softly. 

            "Alright, here they are," she said to Shuuichi. They put on latex gloves and picked up one each. Aspen held the ruler closely up to the right leg of her cricket and measured the length. The thing twitched. "GYAHH!!" she cried, leaping backwards into Kurama. He caught her and helped her back up. "It…moved…" she said uncertainly. 

            "Are you sure?" he asked her. She nodded mutely.

            He leaned closer. "Hmm, it looks like this one's still alive," he said thoughtfully.

            THUMP. "Aspen?" he asked.

            @. @ Groan. "I don't believe this…"

            Kurama once again helped her back up. The rest of the period passed without a glitch. 

            Literature was the last class of the day. It wasn't too bad, she supposed, except that she was so spaced out that someone had to slap her before she realized the teacher was calling on her to read a passage. "Uh, where are we?" she asked.

*end flashback*

            Aspen hurried to her apartment. She absolutely COULD NOT stand to be in a pink mini-skirt for one more second. She changed into a black sweatshirt and jeans. She laced up a pair of clunky boots of the kind her mother hated, and headed out to the park. 

            On the way to the park, Aspen was nearly hit by 2 random passing cars. 'Fate is really out to get me this time,' she thought. She was getting sick of the pavement, so the park seemed like a good place to go. 

            Kurama walked home from school more slowly, enjoying the clear blue skies and fresh air of a day in late September. A few golden leaves were starting to fall from a few of the trees. 

            For some reason (authoress powers) he kept thinking about that girl, Aspen. Kurama nearly laughed out loud when he remembered the expression on her face when he told her that cricket was alive. It was priceless! 

            Yet she was a puzzle also; her unexplained awareness kept nagging in the back of his mind. He was sure she saw something different about him, and she most certainly knew when Yusuke fired his spirit gun. There was something else also, Kurama was sure of it. And it was his job to find out. 

            Shaking troublesome thoughts out of his head, Kurama dropped his bag off at his house. "I'll be at the park," he called up to his mother who was upstairs. 

            As he strode through the pleasant park with his hands thrust nonchalantly deep in his pockets, Kurama noticed a familiar someone leaning over a railing, looking out at nothing in particular. 

            "Hey," he said. 

            She jumped. "Hey," Aspen replied. 

            "Do you mind if I join you?" he asked carefully.

            She smiled slightly. "Not at all…"

            Kurama stood next to her silently, watching the sunset.

            "I love sunsets…" Aspen said dreamily. "They always make me feel so…peaceful…" she sighed. 

            Kurama nodded slightly in agreement. Suddenly he experienced a strange feeling, of watching the sunset with a girl…

            They lapsed into silence, content with the other's company. 

            Aspen walked home after dusk, grinning to herself. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad day after all…

* ~ * ~ *

NOW REVIEW!!! YAY! I'm starting to get into the plot…relationship…thingy… oh well!!! I hope to post more soon! 

Oh and ya, there won't be a real "plot" per say, just a developing romance! After all, that is what I'm best at! 


	5. Chapter 5

DMG: I'm here again, though I really shouldn't be because so few people REVIEWED the last chappie! *Grrrrrrrrr* C'mon! I need to support my review addiction! 

****

asian princess 610: Thank you for being my ONLY (and most faithful) reviewer. I hope you like this chapter as well. ^_^

Still don't own it…

I need to vent on something… 

DOES ANYONE ELSE GET ANNOYED WHEN HIEI OR KURAMA GETS PAIRED WITH BOTON?! I MEAN, THEY DON'T EVEN TALK TO EACH OTHER IN THE SHOW!! I CAN UNDERSTAND SHOUNEN-AI BECAUSE HIEI AND KURAMA ARE BEST FRIENDS, BUT HONESTLY, BOTON?!?!?!?!?!

* ~ * ~ *

"Hey Minamino," Aspen said. "I have a question for you. Where were your fangirls when I talked to you yesterday?" She was just a little bit annoyed at their current position. They were crouched behind a bush off the path in the park, hiding from a mob of rabid girls that looked like they were getting ready to mug anyone in their way.

"I believe they were at cheerleading practice," he replied, dead serious. 

Aspen gave an exasperated sigh. "Don't they have ANYTHING better to do than to chase you?"

"Apparently not," was his wry reply. Kurama, in truth, felt a bit guilty for getting Aspen into this situation. After all, the members of the Shuuichi Minamino fanclub wouldn't be after her blood if they hadn't seen him talking to her this afternoon. Kurama had made the discovery that Aspen liked to take long walks in the park every afternoon after school. He wondered at the absence of her friends, but concluded she liked to be alone. But, she tolerated his company.

Aspen couldn't figure out for the life of her why Shuuichi Minamino would possibly want to spend his time "meeting" her in the park, but it was fine with her. He was actually pretty nice company. He knew not to clutter everything up with words. 

"I think they're gone," she breathed. 

"Right," he said. He knew they were gone. 

They stepped out from the hiding place. Aspen stretched, saying how badly her muscles were cramped up from staying in one position for so long. "I gotta go," she informed him. "Homework's calling."

"Goodbye."

"See ya!"

Kurama unlocked the door to his apartment and went inside. His mother left a note for him on the table saying that she went shopping and would be home in a few hours. He walked softly up the stairs and into his bedroom. He was about to put his books onto his bed when he realized someone already occupied it. 

"I didn't expect to see you here, Kai," he addressed the little neko.

The cat yawned and stretched. In a second, there was a girl sitting on his bed where the cat had been. "Yusuke and Kuwabara told us about that girl," she explained. "Do you think it's anything more than just abnormally acute spirit awareness?" 

He ran his fingers through his long red hair. "Honestly, Kai? I don't know," he admitted. "When I'm around her sometimes I get these partial flashbacks, like I can almost remember something, but not quite. Do you know what I mean?"

She raised her eyebrows. "I think your age is finally beginning to show," she said seriously. 

It took him a moment to realize she was joking. "Lighten up," she grinned. "You're almost as bad as Hiei!"

"Speaking of Hiei, where is he, anyway?"

Kai sighed. "He's getting his katana fixed. It's all busted again."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah…"

That mischievous grin was back. Kurama could still hardly believe this was the former neko hitoriki, famous in the underground for shady assassinations. And it certainly wasn't the same antisocial youkai they had picked up over a year ago as an unwilling new member of the Reiki Tantei.

"So…what's she like?" Kai asked, smirking. 

Again, it took Kurama a moment to register what she was talking about. He gave her an exasperated sigh as an answer. 

She shook her head. "You are too good sometimes, baka no kitsune." With that, she jumped back out the window, telling him that his mother was home. Not that he didn't know already. 

Aspen sat at home, quietly thinking to herself about nothing in particular. She absentmindedly scratched her pet behind his soft black ears as he let out low growls of pleasure. 

She heated up leftover pizza for dinner, although she had no idea how old it was. Didn't matter anyway. So long as it wasn't covered in glowing green mold, it was fine with her. 

Rerun episodes of Rurouni Kenshin played quietly on the TV. Aspen sighed. It was an episode full of Aoshi and Misao. They were by far her favorite couple, even if their relationship was one of the most angsty. 

(A/N: Nope, don't own RK either. Wish I owned Aoshi…)

Her homework was spread all over the table. Stupid Algebra She had a report to do for literature, all though it wouldn't take her long. It was an analysis of Jack London's White Fang. It was an American novel, one of her favorites. 

"Isn't that right, Kiche?" she whispered. When she was 11 years old she had named her pet after the she-wolf, and then discovered it was male. Oh well. He was too attached to the name by the time they found out. 

She did random doodles of foxes on her homework for a couple of hours, then got bored and went to bed. 

September passed fairly uneventfully in much the same manner, with homework, homework, and long walks with Shuuichi. Aspen wasn't exactly sure what he was trying to accomplish by this, but it made her happy. 

In early October, the biology teacher announced that they would be assigned a project and would be working with partners. 

"I'm going to pick out of a hat," said um, Takani-sensei. 

Luck wasn't involved this time, but Kurama's spirit energy was. He "interfered" just a little so that his and Aspen's name would be picked together. A neat little trick he had learned a while ago to save himself from being paired with a rabid fangirl. Sometimes you just had to think of your own sanity first. (OOC but I don't care)

"So," she said after class. "Do you want to come over to my house this weekend and work on it?"

"Aa," he replied. "That would be very nice." He smiled again.

Aspen wondered sometimes if he knew how truly gorgeous that smile was. She was never going to tell him; it would completely ruin their tentative friendship. 

Kurama, meanwhile, was plagued by guilty thoughts. He felt that he was leading this girl on, and she had such a great personality, too. But he only approached her at first because she had such a high level of spirit awareness and it put his position in jeopardy. So – was it all right to start a friendship that way? He was never going to tell her that her smile haunted his dreams…

* ~ * ~ *

DMG: Fifth chappie! In case anyone is wondering, I am updating so fast because I am home sick and will be for some time, so I have nothing better to do than update my stupid fics. 

For anyone who cares, this doesn't have a serious plot, it's just a 'day in the life of a high school romance' kinda thing. 

Hm…I wonder what Kurama's thinking about, ne? Find out in the next chapter, it's not entirely what it seems…


	6. Chapter 6

DMG: I got more reviews!! Thank you! They make my whole day very nice! ^_^

**starkitty0: I'm glad that you like this story! I like your suggestion…I think I will use it, later on when I get to kissing scenes… which hopefully won't be too far away!**

**asian**** princess 610: I know, isn't he? That's why I like him so much! ^-^ See! It's not just the red hair and green eyes…**

Finally, I own Yu Yu Hakusho! Kurama and Hiei are mine to snuggle with! 

DMG: *wakes up* Kuso, just a dream… That's the only place where I'll ever own YYH…

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

`    "So…" Aspen said to break the uncomfortable silence. For some reason, she couldn't talk to him as easily as she could before. It was all because of that stupid dream she had the other day. It confused her to no ends, and Aspen did not entirely enjoy being confused. 

* ~ * Dream * ~ *

     Aspen was sitting on her couch, cuddling with Shuuichi. That in itself was weird enough; she just liked him as a friend, right? He had whispered something gently into her ear, his breath tickling her skin. Kami, she _still blushed to think about it whenever she saw him. _

     She caught a reflection of herself in a mirror, which was also odd, Aspen didn't think dream selves had reflections. But the strangest part was her eyes. They were violet, a deep blue violet. Aspen's eyes were gray.

     She looked at Shuuichi, next to her on the couch, but he was no longer beside her. Instead, she found herself staring into cool amber eyes looking at her seriously. She was so lost in the eyes that she forgot to look at the rest of him, but she glimpsed a flash of silver, and then she woke up. 

* ~ * End Dream Thoughts * ~ *

  Kurama also was having difficulties communicating with the girl sitting across from him. Whenever he looked at her, his head whirled with half-forgotten memories that were just now resurfacing. 

     In his mind's eye, he saw a smile, a soft, secret smile. Aspen's smile. But someone else's, too. He watched a fiery sunset fade slowly from crimson to dusky black. He had seen thousands upon thousands of sunsets in the course of his long lifetime; he couldn't understand why this one stood out. And there were trees. Aspen trees. Was it a coincidence?

     Aspen seemed to realize that she had been staring blankly into space for a while. "Oh! I'm sorry," she said with a blush. "We really should decide what to do this thing on," she said, waving her hand. 

It was obviously a cute little habit she had picked up somewhere. Cute? Kurama snapped himself out of his reverie. "Whatever you want is fine with me."

They had to research a type of animal and make a report on it in front of the class.

"You know," Aspen said thoughtfully. "I really like foxes. Maybe we could do our report on them…"

Kurama smiled. Another coincidence? This time, it probably was. "I also like foxes. That sounds like a good idea to me."

Aspen grinned. "Foxes it is, then." They researched for a while. It wasn't really necessary, as Kurama obviously knew everything there was to know about foxes (yes, even ningen foxes!) and Aspen also seemed knowledgeable on the subject. But, a Works Cited was required. So they did the research. 

After a few hours Aspen began to get hungry. "Do you want to stay for dinner?" she asked.

"Yes, that's fine," said Kurama. "I just have to call my mother."

Aspen was busy digging through her cabinets. "Sorry I don't have a very wide selection. We can have ramen, ramen, or ramen! Hey, wait, I think I have some leftover pizza in here somewhere… Oh, no, it's beginning to glow bright green… I better throw it out…"

Kurama stuck his head in the kitchen. "Ramen is good."

"That's good! Unless you want to eat glowing green leftover pizza from last month, that's what we've got!" 

Their talk turned to the rabid fangirls. 

     "They must be really annoying," Aspen sympathized. 

     "I feel like they're just chasing me for my looks, or grades. They don't know who the "real" Shuuichi is," he said sadly, not for the rabid fangirls but for the fact that he always had to hide what he was.

     "Shuuichi, I think that _I _don't even know who you really are sometimes. Sure, there's the perfect grades, perfect manners, perfect everything, but sometimes I think that's just on the surface…" She trailed away. Shuuichi was looking at her with a very strange expression on his handsome face. 

'She… understands? She's the first in this world to understand…' Of course, in the other world, the demon world, there was a fire youkai and a neko youkai that really knew him, but they were just friends. Although Aspen was just a friend too…

(Keep telling yourself that, Kurama. Maybe it will be true.)

     Unconsciously, they leaned closer… and closer… Aspen was shaking like a leaf. (okay bad play on words…)Kurama had no idea what possessed him to do this. They were practically touching now…

     A loud CRASH! resounded through the house, breaking the spell. 

     Aspen and Kurama leaped up, blushing furiously, both aware of what had almost happened. 

     "Oh no! What was that?" 

     They ran into the bedroom. A little black fox was sitting guiltily on the bed, with a smashed lamp and a few busted picture frames behind him.

     "Kiche!" Aspen moaned. "This is going to take forever to clean up!" 

     "I'll help you," Kurama said, watching the fox, who was now growling at him. Kurama could tell that the fox considered him to be a rival male. 

     "Kiche!" Aspen scolded. She picked him up and carried him over to Kurama. Kiche glared balefully at the other kitsune. "Kiche, this is Shuuichi," she said seriously. "It's ok, he's a friend, see?" she touched his shoulder. 

     The growling subsided. If his beloved mistress thought this other fox thing was not a threat, then it was fine with him. But Kiche would not allow Kurama to touch him.

     "Sorry," Aspen was saying. "Actually, he's usually pretty friendly to strangers…"

     "It's okay," Kurama assured her while helping to pick up glass shards off the floor. 

     "Y'know, it's almost like he sees you as another fox!" Aspen laughed.

     Kurama laughed also, although a bit nervously. Aspen was altogether too perceptive. "Hm?"

     "I said, what's the matter, fox boy?" 

     Now she was going to call him this, too? "Nothing… Well, that's the last of it." Kurama looked at his watch. "It's late," he said. "I'd better get going."

     Aspen showed him to the door. "See you later, kitsune!" She still held her pet in her arms. 

     'So she likes foxes,' he thought, smiling. 'Then is it a compliment that she calls me 'fox?' 

* ~ * ~ *

DMG: That chapter was rather short… short but sweet! (At least in my humble opinion) I think my sister may be right, out of all my fics, I think this one is my favorite and the best…

*grins* It's starting to get fluffy! I think some more things about Aspen's character and life will be discussed in the next chapter! (which will be coming soon because I am still really sick. Does anyone else know how boring it is to hook yourself up to a tube twice a day and do nothing but breathe?!) Until then, ciao! ~         


	7. Chapter 7

**DMG**: **Hello again!**** **Nothing much to say…****

**Muse: DMG does not own YYH… Thank God for that!**

**DMG: Hey! *sighs* Well, I don't own RK, either. (I have to put this 'cause I devoted about a page of this chappie to Aoshi and Soujiro. 0_o)**

**RurouniFan: **I know, Aoshi is just the best, that he is. I love that coat of his! I want one! I think you and I have the same taste in anime guys! The colder and deadlier and more beautiful the better! Hehe! 

**asian**** princess 610: Wow! I think you have reviewed all the chapters to all of my stories! I am so flattered! Getting your reviews makes me want to write faster!**

**Mistress Green Apple: **You know what else is annoying? Hiei/Keiko pairings. *hears groans* I just can't decide which is worse. Another Rurouni K fan? Yes, maybe more fluff in this one, too. Actually, 'assassin' has 4 s's in it. Hehe! I hate spelling too. *grumbles about world language programs* 

* ~  * ~  * ~  *

It was late on a Saturday night and Aspen was looking forward to a day off the next day. She stretched lazily. It was 11:30 at night, but she didn't feel like sleeping yet. She changed into an oversized tee shirt and baggy flannel pants and twisted her long dark hair into a loose braid over one shoulder.  

For once, her TV wasn't on; she had watched all of her tapes several times and only reruns were showing on the cable. She took out her sketchpad and switched on her laptop. Selecting a transparent red disk from the shelf, she gently slid it into the A drive, careful of breaking the old machine. 

"Am I in an Aoshi mood or a Soujiro mood today?" she wondered and browsed all the pictures she had stored on the faithful floppy. One caught her eye and she paused, her mouse hovering over the image. "Definitely Aoshi-sama," she concluded. 

Aspen sharpened her pencils and sighed. No matter how long she practiced, she could only draw her favorite anime characters effectively while looking at a picture. 

(A/N: Sounds like me. -_-'  I drew a picture of Aoshi the other day, and my younger sister guessed both Saitou and Kouga from IY before Aoshi. I am so crushed.)

            The hour wore away, the only sounds disturbing the silence being the scratch of her pencil on the thick textured paper and the low mechanical hum of the computer. Aspen blew away the eraser shavings and held the sketch up critically. 

'The eyes need more work. They don't have any expression.' She bent back over the paper and went to work with the eraser and pencil. 

Aoshi-sama was definitely her favorite character on Rurouni Kenshin. There was just something about his inner turmoil behind that icy façade that attracted her. Aspen was certainly attracted to cold anime guys. Maybe that's why she found Shuuichi so…interesting…

She frowned at this thought. Shuuichi wasn't like Aoshi… if anything, he was a bit more like Soujiro… But, come to think of it, Aoshi and Soujiro had a bit in common…

But what made her make this comparison in the first place? Shuuichi wasn't cold, ne? He was warm and friendly, with a ready smile… 

But underneath, she sensed an underlying distance, a slight chill. It showed in the way she couldn't read him the way she read other people. How he seldom laughed, and never cried. In fact, the mental image of Shuuichi crying was so absurd she had to pause a bit before resuming her train of thought. 

And she knew as she thought this, beyond a shadow of doubt, that she was right. Aspen, slightly disturbed, gathered up her sketching supplies and went to bed. As she flicked off the lights, she decided it was a problem for another day. 

Kurama woke early the next morning to the soft pitter-patter of rain against his window.  He dressed casually (hm… I wonder what exactly he wears when he's 'casual'?) and went downstairs for breakfast. 

"Good morning, Shuuichi," Shiori Minamino said with a gentle smile. 

"Good morning," he replied, smiling slightly like he always did. "How was your trip?" (Ah… Kurama's mom is gonna be away a lot. I mean, how else does he explain all those disappearances?) 

"It was fine, thank you."

(la la la… I don't know any Japanese breakfast foods…so skip ahead.)

"Are you busy today, Shuuichi?"

"Iie," he said slowly.

"Could you pick up these groceries for me?" She handed him a list. 

"Of course."

Aspen dressed in her usual jeans and sweatshirt and boots. Hey, when she didn't have to wear that stupid pink miniskirt, she was gonna take advantage of it. She looked out the window. It was raining, droplets of water falling from a dismal slate-gray sky. 

Unlike most people, Aspen wasn't depressed by the weather. In fact, she was in a good mood. 

Her little black fox watched silently through amber eyes as Aspen pulled a long black trench coat out of the closet and slipped it around her shoulders. She pulled on a pair of black fingerless gloves and reached for an umbrella, before changing her mind and leaving it beside the door. 

Surprisingly, there were few people out on the streets that morning. Aspen supposed it was because of the rain, but still, it was odd for a city. People gave her strange looks as she walked through the puddles without an umbrella, her black hair plastered to her face. 

She smiled quietly to herself, laughing on the inside. People were strange. A little rain never hurt anyone. Lost in her own thoughts, she strolled along the sidewalk, oblivious to the rain, which had begun to come down in sheets. 

Suddenly she collided with something – someone – warm. She let out a muffled "eep!"  before raising her eyes to figure out who it was she ran into. Somehow, she had a feeling that she already knew.

Kurama was aware of the water dripping down his face and hair, but didn't mind. He hardly ever used an umbrella, preferring to feel the light rain against his skin. He stopped to admire the rain droplets on the velvety petals of a rose, then moved on. After all, if he took _too_ long, then his mother would worry, and he hated that. 

Apparently, he was absorbed in his train of thought, because he didn't notice the familiar ki of someone approaching. And so he was quite startled when that someone came crashing into his chest.   

Aspen pulled her nose out of his shirt with some difficulty and looked up to the brilliant green eyes of Shuuichi. "Oi, kitsune," she squeaked out. 'Heh heh…' her mind said stupidly. For she had just gotten one good look at him. And found it hard to stifle the blush rising in her cheeks. HE – LOOKED – HOT! Not just beautiful like he was in school; but HOT and beautiful. He was dressed in casual clothes, which were soaked through from the rain and clinging to his body. Which was very nicely muscled. Er…not that she was looking, or anything. 

He was talking to her. But her mind didn't register exactly what he was saying. "Huh?" she asked intelligently. 'Real nice,' her mind said. 'Great. Now he thinks you're like one of those idiot fangirls.' 

"I'm going shopping for my mother. Would you like to come?' he asked for the second time. "That is, if you're not busy…"

"I'm not busy," she said, wiping the rain out of her eyes. 'I'd love to go with you."

"Great," he agreed. 

Her mind was giggling madly. The kind of giggling that normally made her cringe in disgust for the girly-girls. 'Of course I'm not busy! And even if I was, I'd become un-busy really fast! I can think of no better pastime than hanging around with Shuuichi.'  And then the reasonable half of her mind asked when did her feelings for the red-haired green-eyed bishounen change? The reasonable part of her mind kept desperately screaming, 'FRIEND!' 'PARTNER!' And then the reasonable part of her mind slumped its nonexistent shoulders in defeat, letting the insane part take over.

Kurama was a little bit worried about the girl walking next to him. For one thing, she was oddly silent, and did not seem to hear him when he spoke. For another, she kept on getting this strange glint in her eyes, which was replaced from time to time with a saner, reasonable look. But the glint took over in the end. He decided to try to talk to her again. 

"Are you alright?" he asked, his features showing concern. 

She looked up at him, startled again. "Oh – yes," she said. "I'm fine. Why do you ask?" she was worried that he might be some kind of telepath and had heard the debate inside her head. Though she did not know it, she _was_ half-right in this thought. 

"You're just very quiet," he replied. 

"I'm fine," she assured him. And suddenly, she was. It was as if his voice had a calming effect on her mind. She smiled softly. 

(A/N: Anyone else have these little 'episodes'? I know I have.)

            Kurama smiled with her. Being around this girl – well, he didn't exactly know what he felt, but he was going to find out. He looked at her again. She had an odd, long black coat on, a trench coat. He hadn't ever seen a girl wear one of those before. Her nose and cheeks were red from the cold, but she looked happy. 

            "Oi! Fox, are you alright?" she asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "You've been staring…into space for a while…"

            "Yes, I'm fine," he said. 

            They walked around the store, talking about nothing while Kurama got the items he needed. As they were heading to the checkout, Aspen started laughing. 

            "What's so funny?" Kurama asked her.

            "Oh, nothing, it's just that I realized you are MUCH better at shopping than I am. I am truly hopeless at this."

            Kurama shook his head slightly, bemused at the things she found funny. Then an idea entered his head, one that he had no clue where it came from. "Are you busy this evening?" 

            She stopped laughing and looked at him. "No – why?" Of course that sounded really stupid, but she couldn't think of anything better to say. 

            "Would you like to have dinner with us at my house?" Kurama was just a little bit nervous at his own forwardness. After all, he was normally distant, whatever anyone said.

            'Eeep' 'Eeeep' 'Eeeeep' Aspen shoved that part of her mind to the back of her head and managed to make her features calm. "Of course. I'd love to," she said. 

            He nodded, smiling. 

            "Ja ne! I'll see you back later this evening," Aspen said as Kurama walked her to her door. 

            He nodded, not really replying, but getting his message across all the same. 'It has been quite a while since I had a human friend besides the spirit detectives,' he mused. It was oddly satisfying, in a way. 

            Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Kurama and Aspen, several pairs of eyes were watching safely from the bushes. A hand clenched in anger, and a girl attempted a growl in a voice much too high. "Scout ! to Leader, reporting, you gotta hear this…"

            "Mother, I'm home," Kurama called softly as he set the bags on the table. 

            "Hello, Shuuichi, you were gone quite a long time. Did you meet someone?"

            "Yes, actually," he said with a small smile. "A girl named Aspen; she's an exchange student and friend from school."

            Shiori Minamino walked over and hugged her son tightly, happy that he finally had some female company. 

            It took Kurama a second or two to figure out why his mother was so happy. A faint blush could be seen over his nose. "It's not really like that…" he mumbled. 

            Shiori smiled, her eyes warm and playful. "That's how it always starts out…"

            Kurama coughed a little, then managed to speak. "I hope you don't mind if she comes over for dinner?"

            "Not at all."

            "Ahhhhh…" Aspen sighed as she sank gratefully into the steaming water of her bath. "There is NOTHING better than being out in the rain all day then coming home to a nice bath…" She sank lower, soaking her dark hair. 

            About an hour later, she decided to check the bathroom clock. "Hmm… I suppose I should get out now… stuff to do…" Although she really had no idea what 'stuff' she had to do. 

            Five minutes later found her standing in front of her closet with a perplexed expression on her features. "I don't suppose I should dress up… it's only his house, after all…" She leafed through her shirts, inspecting them. "But his mother's going to be there, I want to make a good impression…" Then she realized what she was doing. Shaking her head sadly at her own folly, she settled on a black long-sleeved shirt with a v-neck and roses patterned across the chest. After pulling on a pair of black flare jeans, she sat down at her desk.

            Her phone rang. "'Ello?'" she asked, in English, as she temporarily forgot where she was. 

            "It's Jess," a voice said cheerfully on the other line. 

            "Oh, hey Jess, what's up?" Aspen asked, leaning back on her desk chair. 

            "Nothing much," she replied. "What are you doing?"

            "Hm… my nails…"

            There was a pause on the other line. Then – "AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

            Aspen frowned into the receiver. "What?"

            "In all my life that I've known you, you have NEVER done your nails, your hair, makeup, and what not. IT'S SCARY!!"

            "You're right… this is really really weird…" Aspen muttered. 

            "So…" Jess' voice sounded sly. "Who is he?" 

            "Huh? I have no idea what you're talking about," Aspen said, trying to make her voice sound aloof.

            "You're acting really strange. There HAS to be a guy involved."

            "Wouldn't you like to know."

            "Well, if you don't tell me…" Jess couldn't think of a threat.

            Aspen sighed. "I'm just messing with you. No, he's just a friend, but I am going over to his house for dinner tonight…"

            "Is he cute?"

            "Is that all you ever think about? You're impossible. But, in any case, I think he goes WAY beyond cute. And that's all I'm saying." 

            "You're no fun."

            Aspen could almost see her friend's scowl. "Yeah, well, did I ever say I was?"

            "Whatever. Look, I gotta go, but I'll call you some other time. Long-distance is just a little over my budget."

            "Yeah, I know what you mean. Talk to you later."

            Aspen frowned at the bottle in her hand as she put the phone back in its holder. Then, sticking her hands into a bottle of polish remover, she began to mutter to herself. 

            About an hour or so later, when it was beginning to get dark, she pulled on her coat and gloves, and walked out the door. It had stopped raining, so she didn't need to worry about getting wet. Not that she would anyway.

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

DMG: I decided to end it here. This is actually much longer than normal, so next time I'll write about…stuff… I don't have much to say…yeah… Ja ne! And, as usual, reviews are GREATLY appreciated and will help make me write faster. 

RANT: Okay, I don't have anything against shounen-ai, but some KxH fics are REALLY starting to annoy me. For one thing, Kurama and Hiei are sometimes so OOC I want to rip my hair out. But that's not why I'm ranting this time. I just have ONE little question. In all those yaoi fics, HOW IN ALL 7 @#$#-ING HELLS DOES KURAMA OR HIEI END UP PREGNANT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! Come on, we've all had family life classes, (or at least I have) and we all know that males CAN'T REPRODUCE! HEL-LO?! GRRRRRRR! That's just traumatizing. 


	8. Chapter 8

**DMG: Okay, disclaimer: I own nothing, happy? Not Yu Yu Hakusho, not the song, 'Sound of Silence,' by Simon and Garfunkel, though it is one of my personal favorites. I just put the song in randomly, because I happen to be listening to it at the moment. Yep, nothing much more to say. Oh, wait, I don't own LOTR, either, or anything else I might feel the need to include. **

**asian princess 61(): Sorry… but, unfortunately, she WILL have a *slight* run-in with the evil fangirls. MWAHAHAHAHHAHAHA! *coughs* Thanks for reviewing! ^_^**

*** ~ * ~ * ~ ***

            Aspen stepped lightly out into the evening air that still smelled faintly of rain. Careful not to splash in the puddles on the slick pavement, she hummed to herself. 

            It was a rare autumn night that contained hints of departed summer in the smell of the cool air. Aspen's nose always had been keen. She started singing faintly to herself, a random song she had been listening to:

"_Hello darkness my old friend,_

_I've come to talk with you again,_

_Because a vision softly creeping_

_Left its seeds while I was sleeping,_

_And the vision that was planted in my brain_

_Still remains – _

_Within the sounds of silence…"_

Her lilting, soft voice faded into the damp air as she spun, trench coat swirling around her ankles. 'I'm getting the strangest feeling that I'm being watched…' she laughed nervously to herself. Shrugging off the feeling, she strolled on. It was still a good few blocks to Shuuichi's house. 

"_In restless dreams I walked alone_

_Narrow streets of cobblestone_

_'Neath the halo of a streetlamp,_

_I turned my collar to the cold and damp_

_When my eyes were stabbed _

_By the flash of a neon light_

_That split the night,_

_And touched the sound of silence – "_

            There it was, that damn feeling again! Aspen couldn't fathom who would be following _her, if it were only a bunch of thugs they would have confronted her long since. She rolled her gray eyes. She was most likely being foolish for nothing. Scared of shadows, pfft!_

"_And in the naked light I saw_

_Ten thousand people maybe more_

_People talking without speaking,_

_People hearing without listening,_

_People writing songs, that voices never share;_

_No one dare_

_Disturb  the sounds of silence…"_

            Aspen shivered slightly; now she was definitely not imagining ghosts. There really was a person watching her, she knew it. Exactly how she knew, Aspen was never quite sure, but she undoubtedly had a knack for sensing another's presence. And this person was… above her? How strange.  

"Oi, you! Whoever you are! Stop following me!" she shouted at the dark treetops. 

"_Fools, said I, you do not know_

_Silence like a cancer grows_

_Hear my words that I might teach you_

_Take my arms that I might reach you_

_But my words, like silent raindrops fell_

_And echoed in the realms of silence._

_And the people bowed and prayed_

_To the neon god they made_

_And the sign flashed out its warning_

_In the words that it was forming_

_And the sign said the words of the_

_ Prophets are written on the subway walls_

_And tenement halls_

_And whispered, in the sounds of silence…" _

Her receding voice finally faded into a whisper as she finished the song, the only sound left the echo of her footsteps in the alleyways, leaving a certain someone with crimson eyes wide with shock. 

            "Scout 2 to Leader, this woman, I mean, the Quarry, she's absolutely crazy! She's singing to nothing and shouting at trees not to follow her! But she's getting closer to The Destination…"

            Mariko's, that is to say, the President of the Shuuichi Minamino Fan Club's, brown eyes narrowed slightly at the information transmitted over the walkie-talkie. "Girls!" she began in a booming voice, addressing the sizeable 'army' of teenage girls assembled in her kitchen. "Are we going to let the American wench get our own, our preciousssss?" Her eyes flashed, but her voice took on a disturbing quality, almost like Gollum from Lord of the Rings. 0.o

            Deafening cries of, "No!" and, "Never!" and, "He's OURS!" greeted this announcement. 

            "Then prepare for war," Mariko finished coldly. 

            The girls streaked their faces with red and green paint and armed themselves with dull kitchen utensils and eyeliner. They streamed out of the lighted doorway and dispersed into the night, a pack of rabid weasels after the object of their jealousy. 

            It was quiet. Too quiet. The fingers on Aspen's right hand twitched, as if longing for a trigger. The feeling of impending insanity hung heavily in the night air. Aspen was ready for anything, including an attack from a mob of bloodthirsty preps out for her life. She laughed at the absurdity of this thought, chastising herself for being so silly. Little did she know she was not far from the truth. 

            Jaganshi Hiei had not moved from his branch in the tree, sitting with his brow furrowed in thought. (Cute picture, ain't it?) That girl… she had sensed his presence. NO ONE was supposed to be able to do that, when he masked it as well as he did. Well, that wasn't entirely true, he reflected. Kurama and Kai could always tell when he was around, but they were special. She didn't know him… This human, whatever Kurama said her name was, was certainly worth looking into. 

            The fire demon vanished in the direction of Kurama's house, where he deducted that this girl must be going. Weak energies stalking in the shadows cause him to pause for a bit, but he decided they must be petty human thugs, nothing more. 

            'Hm, there already!' Aspen thought triumphantly as Kurama's apartment, thing, came into view. (Thinks – I don't really know where Kurama lives. So work with me here.) The home stretch. But the trouble was just beginning. 

            One of the fangirls, codenamed for the 'mission' Scout 1, spotted the figure dressed in a long trenchcoat walking under a stray streetlamp and motioned the hordes forward. Yelling, they tore down the suburban-ish street, drawing nearer to their quarry with every leap and bound. 

            Aspen twisted to face the sudden commotion, and her normally piercing and emotionless gray eyes shot open in shock. She had barely time to utter a startled, "Meep!" before they were upon her. Crazy b*tches! They even had warpaint! Aspen didn't fail to notice that the colors matched Shuuichi's hair and eyes. And she began to really, truly pity her friend. But there was time for that later! Right now, she had to save herself from a fate worse than death! They were armed with dull butter knives and eyeliner, oh dear! 

            Aspen did the only thing she could have done under the circumstances. She ran. And she could outrun a wild horse, if she did say so herself. Just not on the timed mile. But one of them was faster. It was Mariko, the President.

            It was a face off like might be seen in an old Western. Insults flew thick and fast between the two warring women. Finally, Aspen got fed up. 

            "I don't have time for this!" she snapped. "Shuuichi is waiting, FOR _ME_!" Catching her 'rival' off guard, Aspen slapped her full across the face, sending her flying backwards onto the pavement, completely ruining her expensive designer skirt. 

            Aspen gave a satisfied smirk, and jogged the few feet up the steps to Shuuichi's apartment. 

            "You are late," Shuuichi commented as he answered the door. "I was beginning to get worried. Did anything happen?"

            Breathing heavily, Aspen mustered enough indignant anger to glare at him. "Do you remember what I told you when we first met, that I'd hold you personally responsible for any bodily harm your fan club caused me?"

            He nodded, slightly confused.

            "Well, that still holds."

            He rubbed the back of his head. "Gomen nasai," he winced. "I hope you're not hurt?"

            "No, I'm fine. I'm just lucky I'm fast, and they all didn't catch me…"

            "I'm relieved to hear that. Please come in, dinner's ready and I would like you to meet my mother…"

            Aspen liked Shiori Minamino on sight. She had a kind face, and eyes that seemed to permanently smile. She shook the older woman's hand warmly and grinned in response. 

            "I'm pleased to meet you, Minamino-san," she said. 

(Erm, you know what… I don't know what Japanese dinners are like…so, once again, I am skipping ahead. ^_^;;)

            "Shuuichi, why don't you show Aspen around while I make tea and clean up?" Mrs. Minamino suggested after the meal. 

            Kurama nodded and motioned her to follow him upstairs. 

            "This is my room," he said, opening his door. "We can wait in here if you want to."

            Aspen stepped slowly inside and wandered over to his desk. "Did you grow these yourself?" she inquired, gently fingering the leaves on the rose plants spilling all over the shelves. "They're beautiful."

            "Thank you," he replied, smiling. "I did. I always loved roses," he said fondly. 

            "Mm, I love how they smell," she agreed, her attention wandering to the framed photographs arranged neatly on the dresser. "Who are they?" she asked, indicating a picture of the Reiki Tantei. 

             "They are… friends of mine," he said carefully. "The short one with black hair is Hiei, the girl standing next to him is Kai, that is Kuwabara, Yusuke – "

            "Yusuke Urameshi?" Aspen interrupted curiously. "I met him once. I didn't know you were friends."

            "Yes. We met… a while back when he helped me." 

            Aspen could tell he wasn't eager to talk about it, so she let the matter drop. "What about the other people?"

            Kurama was furious with himself for forgetting that Yusuke had met Aspen, and for even naming the people in the picture. But he couldn't back out now. "That's Keiko, Yukina, Boton, Kuwabara's sister Shizuru, and Genkai."  

            "Are Yukina and Hiei by any chance siblings?" she asked, leaning closer for a better look.

            "Why do you ask that?" He was startled. No one was supposed to know that.

            She shrugged. "They look very similar. The eyes, the height."

            "About that, yes, they are, but Hiei would appreciate it if you never talked about it," Kurama said slightly nervously.

            "Oh…" This just got much more confusing. Shuuichi sure had a complicated life. 

(More than you know. BWAHAHAHAHA!)

            Aspen opened her mouth, no doubt to ask another difficult question involving the Reiki Tantei, but the world shall never know. It was at this moment that the pair became aware of muffled sounds coming from outside the window. They exchanged a quizzical look before the answer dawned on them.

            "Fangirls!" they breathed simultaneously. 

            "Oh no!" Kurama moaned. They were out to ruin his life, he knew it! 

            "It's okay," Aspen sympathized, patting his shoulder comfortingly. "One day, they will realize you're not interested, miraculously mature overnight, and move on with their lives."

            He sighed. "I don't know why they keep following me…"

            At this, she raised her eyebrows. "You seriously don't know? Well, I do. Actually, anything female (or… well, we won't go there) with eyes knows why."

            Kurama laughed quietly. "If only they knew…" he murmured.

            Aspen watched him silently. Knew what? And why was there a touch of… bitterness… in his laugh when he said that? She could sense there was something she was not seeing, something he wasn't telling her. It showed in the way he sometimes got a faraway look in his melancholy green eyes. How there was a faint touch of sadness, and maybe…regret?… behind all his movements. Aspen resolved right then to find what was wrong, and help him if she could. Because… she was starting to wonder if she felt more than friendship for her red-haired friend. 

            Impulsively she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and rested her head against him. "I don't know what's wrong, and I don't think you want to tell me. Just know, please, that I want to help you if I can, and if you ever need someone, that I will be there…"

            Kurama didn't speak. He didn't dare. He was afraid that if he let words pass his lips, he would confess everything. He would take his secret and lay it at the feet of this human girl, to await her judgement. Why? Because… that thought was dangerous to finish. Kurama was aware that if he let himself become attached, his enemies would use it against him. But... the idea was enticing nonetheless. 

            For the moment, he forgot about the danger. He chose to ignore that he was a demon thief. He pulled her close to him in a tight embrace. 

            "Thank you," he whispered near her ear. 

            Outside the window, sitting in the branches of the tree that was conveniently situated near Kurama's window; Mariko dropped the binoculars she was holding with a muted shriek. Her eyes welled up with tears. How could he? Didn't Shuuichi know that he was _hers, and hers alone? It wasn't fair. _

            Hiei observed the sobbing girl in the branches below him with bored distaste. She wore her emotions like a badge for everyone to see. Not only that, but she was sitting in _his tree, using it to spy on his friend. Silently, he crept down the trunk, careful of being seen. He gave her a tiny push, just enough so she slowly lost her balance and grip on the study limb. _

            She hit the ground softly but with a satisfying, 'oomph!' 

            Kurama and Aspen broke apart reluctantly. 

            "What was that?" he asked.

            "I think I know…" she said, opening his window and peering out. "Eheheh… Fox, I think you should look at this, but don't feel too guilty please."

            "Oh dear…" 

            Mariko was lying spread-eagled on the springy ground, twitching slightly. 

            "D'you think we should help her?" Aspen wondered aloud, thinking she could be seriously hurt. "Nah… on second thought, she looks alright to me…" 

            Indeed, the girl was already getting shakily to her feet, and starting to hobble away surprisingly quickly.

            "Oi, fox, do you still get the feeling we're being watched?" the girl asked dubiously. "I'm starting to get a funny feeling around these stupid trees…"

            'Hiei,' Kurama concluded mentally. "No, I don't think so."

            "Oh. Well. I think we should answer your mother now. She's been calling for the last two minutes."

            "Well, it's getting late. I should go," Aspen said, reluctantly pulling herself away from tea. 

            "It was nice to meet you, Aspen," Shiori Minamino said warmly.

            Aspen smiled back. It was hard not to. Mrs. Minamino was such a nice woman. "The pleasure's all mine."

            "I will see you around, Shuuichi, ne?" 

            "If you don't mind, may I walk you home?"

            "I would like that."

            "Very well then."

            They arrived at the familiar steps leading up to Aspen's apartment much too quickly for Kurama's liking. Still, the night couldn't last forever, and the kitsune knew for a fact that Hiei was waiting up in a tree to tell him something. 

            "I guess, I'll see you tomorrow in school…" Aspen bid him goodbye and stepped lightly up. 

            "Hiei, you may come out now," Kurama called to the trees when she was gone from sight. 

            "Hn. Baka no kitsune," the short fire demon said as he leapt casually onto the pavement. "What are you doing?"

            "To tell you the truth, even I don't know."

            "She called you, 'fox.' Does she know?"

            "No, she doesn't."

            "Then why did she call you that?"

            "She just does…"

            Hiei glared at his taller friend, then promptly changed the subject. "She sensed my presence, a while back in the trees."

            "She certainly has high spirit awareness," Kurama agreed. "She knew when Yusuke shot the rei gun."

            Hiei didn't give any outward sign of approval. But he thought on the matter and decided to tell Kai when he got back to her den. 

            "Her ki is rising," Kurama said abruptly. "I didn't notice it before, but now I'm sure. It's almost as if something awakened it…"

*** ~ * ~ * ~ ***

DMG: Yes! Another chappie done! And the plot thickens! (PWP?) I have a few QUESTIONS to ask all you reviewers, and people who are reading but not reviewing. 

**1. **Should Aspen find out about Youko in the next few chapters? ****

**2. **Should she and Kurama get together before or after she finds out about Youko?****

**3. **Should she meet and befriend the Reiki Tantei before or after?****

**I'd really appreciate it if you include your opinions in your reviews. That's all for now! Ja! (Oh, and yes, I would like to have 20 reviews by the next chappie, so if you would kindly help with that! ^_~) **


	9. Chapter 9

**DMG: Well, hello, minna-san! I'm so happy that so many people responded to my questions at the end of last chappie! Unfortunately, I won't be able to use all of your ideas, and I'm not even sure which ones I'm going to use yet! ^_^; Review Responses and view on Hiei and Kurama as a couple:**

**.(****): Doncha think you coulda left a name or an email or something? I don't bite! *hides fangs* heh.  Your response was very polite and reasonable! Sure, I'm kinda evil when I rant, but afterwards I tend to mellow out a bit. And, for the record, I never said Hiei and Kurama don't make a cute couple. They do. And I do think there's potential there, but I don't write like that and I don't think they're exactly right for each other aside from really close friends. I just don't think neither Hiei nor Kurama would take the initiative needed. On the pregnancy thing, that still does and always will disturb me. As in mental scarring with that image. If you think about it graphically, that's just gross. (It doesn't help that I really really don't want to get pregnant anytime in the near or distant future at this point in my life. I have trouble relating.)**

**I don't write shounen ai. However, I once read that anyone can be a couple, if the author can make it work. I think this is true. It's all in the author's style. (Please don't take this as an excuse to go write a Hiei/Kuwabara fic. *shudders* You are truly talented indeed if you can make that work.)**

**asian**** princess 61: Yes, I agree on some things. I think she should meet the Reiki Tantei before finding out about Youko. It will make it that much more shocking and believable at the same time. On the flip side, I think they should go out a few times beforehand and become official after the fact. **

**animerocker****: You're right; I should make them have a few more flashbacks… I think I've been neglecting that aspect of the story lately… hm… I don't know about Youko, though, because, personally, I like Kurama better, and that reflects in my writing. (That's also why ****Aspen**** is human.) (Glad you like Hiei and Kai as a couple. ^^)**

**sweet-babi-fox****: Sugoi! Thanks for the review! I don't see that level of enthusiasm often!**

**Eos: I think you're right… That would make it more interesting, wouldn't it? Thanks for reviewing!**

**shannon****: Yeah, befriending Yusuke and the gang seems like a good way to go from here, doesn't it? Thanks!**

**DMG: Now that I've rambled for a page and a half, it's time to get on with the fic!**

*** ~ * ~ * ~ ***

            "Aspen! Aspen!"  Katsura called, running along the sidewalk.

            Aspen Rea stopped to wait for her breathless friend. "What is it?" she asked lightly. She was in a good mood today. Everything suddenly seemed so bright and inviting. It was a good day to be alive. 

            "Did you really go to Shuuichi Minamino's house yesterday?"

            Aspen snorted delicately. (An oxymoron!) "Don't tell me you're spying too!"

            "No, no, it's not that! It's just that the whole school's been talking about it! _No one has _ever_ gone to Shuuichi Minamino's house before!"_

            "Are you serious?"

            Katsura nodded silently, studying her friend. She kinda looked… older, but not _older. More mature, maybe. Weird. She had seen Aspen last… a day or two ago? Not even that? Strange. _

              They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence. Aspen didn't feel like talking, anyhow. She had sobered a bit since last night, when she had impulsively hugged him. No need to think who 'him' meant. Who else was there, anyway?

            Kurama woke early on Monday morning. He dressed quickly and left after a hurried 'Goodbye' to his mother. He arrived before most students at his high school. Kurama was lost in a pensive state that bordered on brooding, if Kurama could ever be said to brood. 

            He leaned against the fence, watching the students enter the grounds. Even his demon-enhanced sight couldn't see everything, however, and he didn't see her.

            Kurama looked for Aspen, but he did not see her in any of the morning classes. Slightly perturbed, he resolved to ask one of her friends the next time he saw them. She looked fine last night. 

            Aspen lay curled up on her side facing the wall of the darkened nurses' office, watching the events of the day play out in her mind's eye. It had begun to get strange just as she got to school… and she wasn't sick so much as baffled…

            _She had seen Shuuichi's bright red hair and began to yell her familiar greeting when the words stuck in her suddenly dry throat. Her senses were assaulted by a myriad of colors and shapes and smell… Hell, she thought she could even _taste _the _air_! _

_            She picked up a leaf, turning it over in her hands. It was intricately veined with complex colors she never even thought existed… she could see the fine hairs growing from the glossy surface. It was exciting and frightening all at once. _

_            There were a million scents drifting through the crisp late autumn air. Chalk and paper and ink and things from inside the school, accompanied by a sterile smell she couldn't quite place. And there was the aroma of autumn itself, a fresh and revitalizing smell, with just a hint of bitter winter around the corner. _

_            And the strangest of all, a feeling in her mind; a prickling sense that told her _she knew where everyone was. _She could feel Katsura, standing right behind her. _Aspen___ knew she was there without looking. And Mariko, slinking behind the school building. Mira was approaching from the left, and to her right, shining like a beacon in her new heightened awareness, was the fox, Shuuichi. But somehow, (and she almost laughed at herself for this) that name did not seem to describe all that he was.  _

_            It was a feeling like that flare she had felt a while ago in an alleyway. But…different, somehow. And she couldn't explain, even to herself, why._

_            But that would not in itself have caused her to come running here like a child to seek refuge from her own mind. It was nearly __midday__, and since the morning, her senses had dulled somewhat. Somewhat. _

_            No, her real problems started when she got _in _school, while she was at her locker. As she turned the combination, she was overcome by the sensation of turning another lock, in another place, in a room in a damp passageway…_

_            Aspen bit her lip, trying to control her now rapid breathing. The locker door swung open…_

_            And inside was a faded and torn parchment, rolled and tied with a red ribbon. She picked it up and slipped off the tie, tracing her finger along the ink lines and markers. She wondered idly where this one would lead…_

_            And she was standing on a mountaintop, wondering what it would be like to fly, and then stepping lightly down a sunny forest path, whistling to herself…_

_            And she was sharpening little daggers that fit in the palm of her hand like they were made for her, and practicing a kick that would take down any opponent…_

_            And suddenly she was fighting for her life as the mob closed in on her, and she knew this would be her last battle, that she would die here without hope, without any answers, as a virgin. But the chaos subsided, and she was held by that beautiful silver-haired fox, with those beautiful golden eyes…_

_            And then it simply went dark. There was nothing more. Aspen slid down the lockers, unaware of their hardness against her back, her eyes wide and glassy. _

            Aspen sighed and relaxed against the plastic covers of the bed. What the hell did all of this mean? She had never seriously given a thought to reincarnation before, but how else could she have all these crazy memories floating around her conscious? Because more drifted in every minute, and it was scaring the hell out of her. 

            "God, somebody help me…" she whispered into the pillow.

            "The nurse's office? Why?"  Kurama questioned a frazzled Katsura outside a random classroom.

             "I told you before, I don't know!" she moaned, feeling the urge to bang her head against the doorway, while forgetting to die at the fact that Shuuichi was talking to her. 

            "Nothing?" Kurama felt a bit guilty for pressing her, as she looked bad enough already, but he couldn't help it. It was all too strange. 

            "She was a bit… weird, this morning, that's all."

            "How?"

            "Look, she just kinda spaced out, that's all! I need to go to class!"

            Kurama let her go. It was obvious she didn't know anything else. Kurama closed his eyes. It was too weird, especially after that incredible surge of semi-familiar youki that morning. Maybe he could get leave from his biology teacher to go …

            "Hey," Kurama said from the darkened doorway.

            "Oi, fox…" Aspen said weakly from the cot.

            "Are you alright?" He asked, concerned.

            "Heh. I'm more freaked out than anything, I suppose," she answered, then immediately regretted it, as he would probably want to know more.

            "Explain." So she was right. 

            "I, ah… it's nothing," she finished lamely. 

            "Are you sure?" he probed gently. This could be the answer to everything. 

            "I… had a… dream… nothing more. I guess I musta passed out or something, ne?" 

            She was too calm. There was no way that was the truth. _I should know, _he grimaced internally. _My whole life is one big lie… _

            Aspen looked down at the sheets as she twisted them between her fingers. He could probably tell she was lying. But how could she explain everything that happened to her that day? He would think she was crazy; it would scare him away. _I don't want to lose him, _she realized with a start. _I never want him to go away! _

"Shuuichi," she began. "I, ah, never mind…" she trailed off miserably. 

            He gently cupped her chin to raise her face so she was looking directly at him. He captured her eyes with his and saw a strange calmness in their stormy depths that there had never been before. They were clear, clear and beautiful. Gray eyes. Flecked with purple. 

            Kurama caught himself and looked again. They had never had that color before, not that he could remember. But someone else had…

            _What is he doing? _Aspen wondered. But it was a strange, calm, idle wonder, barely stirring the still surface of her mind. Something in her soul told her this was right. And that it would always be right. Inner Aspen sighed with contentment, and the other mysterious presence sighed with her. They finally agreed. 

            Kurama's brilliant green eyes never lost their intensity. He watched himself with a kind of fascinated detachment as he examined feelings he never felt before, but found he couldn't analyze them. They were irrational and they made him different from youkai. These feelings were _human. _Inner Kurama smiled warmly.

            Even as he watched, her eyes faded back to their normal hue, but regained the calmness and peace he saw before. He leaned forward, his hand still under her chin. She let him. She trusted him. Completely. 

            Their lips met all at once in a rush of passion. Aspen wrapped her arms tightly around Kurama's neck as if she would never let go. He held her firmly around the waist with one hand while the other twined itself in her thick black hair. 

            They broke apart reluctantly, hearts beating wildly.

            "Oh, Shuuichi," she breathed. "Thank you." _Although I think I'm well enough to go back to class now, _she thought with a sweatdrop.

            He smiled his heart-stopping trademark smile and extended a hand to help her off the bed. (Remember, they're still in the Nurse's office, here! But I think they forgot…) 

            "Take a walk with me after school today," Kurama said. "I want to talk to you."

            Aspen looked after him slightly puzzled, then raised trembling fingers to her lips. They curved upwards in a tiny smile. 

*** ~ * ~ * ~ ***

**DMG: Hello! Been quite a long time, ne? I had a hard time with this chapter. And I meant NONE of that stuff to happen. It just kinda… happened. (You know how those things are.) I wanted to cover so much more in this chappie, but I just couldn't. It seemed like a good place to end it. Not much more to say, except, review! Review! Review!**

**Sorry it was so short! *hides inside recently completed bomb shelter equipped with a laptop, manga, and **Milky Ways******* **


	10. Chapter 10

DMG: 'Ello! Sorry I've been gone for a while. I'm trying to finish up, to tell you the truth. Though I don't know how long it will be, considering I'm only about half way through right now. I've been really busy and haven't updated, mostly 'cause I've got a block on this story. Ah, well. That happens, I guess. Most of my time lately has been spent on my original story, which I have been working on for a year now and have nothing to show for it! Grr! The idea's good, I guess, but I don't know how to write it. Anyways, on with the fic!

(Sorry for the profanity in this one – but for the situation, I guess it's forgivable. I did rate this PG-13)

*** ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ ***

            Aspen leaned against the wall outside of the school, anxiously waiting for Shuichi to show up. He had been quiet all day, after… that… He had barely said two words to her after they left the nurse's office! He was so hard to read… It was so frustrating – she never knew what he was thinking! And she felt so lonely, whenever he wasn't around. Kami-sama, am I falling for him? Or have I already fallen? 

            Kurama hesitated just inside the school doors, watching Aspen's rather forlorn figure near the wall outside. It was late; most of the other students had already gone home or on to prep school. He had asked to talk to her, not really knowing what he had to say. 

            He had… kissed her. He still couldn't believe himself. It was rash, impulsive, irresponsible. There could be nothing between them. It was for her sake. 

            Briefly, he wondered what they could've had, if circumstances had been different. If he had been a normal high-school boy. Kurama, businesslike, pushed the thought to the back of his mind. It didn't matter. Wishes could never change reality. He hardened himself and walked out to meet her. 

            "Oi, kitsune," she greeted, a soft smile lighting her face. She caught his expression and the grin slipped a little. "Is something wrong?" She thought there was even more pain in his eyes than usual. 

            "No, nothing," he said quickly, still unsure of how to phrase what he needed to say. 

            "Oh, alright, then…" An uncomfortable silence settled between them. 

            Aspen felt a little panicky. In all the time she knew him, she had never felt so nervous in Shuichi's presence. It was… slightly depressing. Could things have changed between them that fast? She felt like she needed to say something, anything, to break that silence. But what? How was your day? Pathetic. It's a nice day? No shit. He's got eyes. Beautiful eyes… 

            Kurama noted the atmosphere with a touch of sadness. Aspen was the first, the first of his classmates to be a real friend. Was it all about to end? Perhaps, when he finished what he needed to say, they would not even be able to be friends anymore. He shook the thought. He would survive – he always did. 

            They started to walk with no clear destination in mind. Aspen was filled with a strange sense of foreboding she did not clearly understand. 

            "This is it," she started nervously. "The place where we first met outside of school."

            "So it is," Kurama mused. "It seems fate has a sense of irony," he added under his breath. 

            Aspen glanced at him through the corner of her eye. Just enough of her extraordinary hearing from the beginning of the day remained for her to catch the softly spoken words. 

            "Nothing," he said quickly. 

            "What do you suppose he's going to do?" Boton asked through her binoculars. 

            "Dunno," Kai replied. "It doesn't look good, though."

            "You think so?" 

            "I know so." 

            Out of sheer boredom, the Reiki Tantei had spontaneously decided on a picnic for that afternoon. The Makai was quiet, and they hadn't had a case for at least a month. Bored. Bored. Bored. 

            Kai was supposed to find Kurama and convince him to come. Boton offered to come with her, seeing as how her supply of chocolate had dwindled alarmingly. Boton's plan was that they go shopping first, and find Kurama after. Kai agreed – she too was hooked on the delicious human sweet. So, they had come to find him, only to discover that he was with a girl – one they had heard a lot about. Now back to the present…

            "What's he going to do?"

            "Shhhhh!" Kai hissed. 

            "Aspen…" Kurama let the name hang in the air, savoring it, almost. "There's something I need to tell you…"

            Aspen leaned a little closer; eyebrows raised a fraction, trying to curb her excitement, thoughts whirring through her mind a mile a minute. An optimist would be happy right now, a pessimist nervous. She didn't notice he was speaking again until she caught words that made her heart stop. 

            "Back there… in the nurse's office… it wasn't anything…"

            'WHAT?!' her mind screamed at her. 'NOTHING?! WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS?!' Outwardly she remained calm. "Oh?"

            Just then, he noticed for the first time that, although she spoke nearly perfect Japanese, her voice was accented with a strangely alluring lilt – not a very comfortable thing to notice when one is trying to break up with her. He swallowed imperceptibly. "I… don't like you like that. Back there, I didn't know what I was doing… It's not right, Aspen." 

            She raised a frigid eyebrow. "I see." 

            "Is that all?" Kurama was startled to get off that easy. He was sure she was going to chew him out. 

            She spoke suddenly. "Then it was all an act? Everything – the last few months?"

            He nodded. This was killing him. 

            She made a small noise, impossible to tell whether she was laughing or sighing. "You are a damn good actor, Shuuichi. You really had me going there for a while."

            She turned to walk away. "One more question: why tell me now? Why not wait until we'd gone further? I think I would have, you know – so I guess it's better this way." She turned on her heel and left without another word.

            Kurama sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair. She was right. It was better this way. He stopped. Two familiar ki's were heading this way. He should have noticed it before, but he was preoccupied. 

            Boton's binoculars dropped to the ground with a clatter. Kai's ears, slightly pointed in her human form, were twitching madly. 

            "What's he _doing?" Kai hissed. _

            "I don't know! I can't stand much more of this! The drama is killing me!" Boton wailed. 

            "I really don't know if you have to take it that far…"

            "Come on! I can't stand this!" Boton dragged Kai out from their hiding place with all their bags.

            Kurama turned to see his two female friends hurrying down the sidewalk, laden with bags full of what smelled like… chocolate. 

            "Kurama!" Kai moaned. "What did you do that for? You really had a shot!"

            He only sighed again and looked in the direction she had gone. "It's better…"

            "Better?" Boton screeched. 

            "Kurama, you deserve to be happy, too!" Kai persisted. "It isn't nice to watch you hurt yourself like this! And she was pretty upset, too…"

            "Kai… you can smell emotions, can't you?" 

            "Yes, I can, but where – "

            "Was she alright?" he asked slowly. 

            Kai sighed as well. "She smelled… angry… and sad…and…confused… Kurama, her ki is very strange! What if she turns out to be a youkai, what then? We'd have to go and investigate, and you'd have to be there, and what happens then? You would have an awful lot of explaining to do…" she trailed off. She could see (and smell) that her kitsune friend was determined in this. "I'm sorry… it's your choice. I'm butting in."

            Kurama shook his head at the neko's concern. "It'll be alright, Kai."

            "I hope so," she replied. 

            Boton, who had surprisingly not said anything during the exchange, spoke now, though her voice was somewhat less bubbly than usual. "We were going to invite you guys to a picnic, but I guess the gang will understand if you don't want to come…"

            "Thank you… I don't believe I will make it, though. I'll stay here for a while."

            The ferrygirl and neko-youkai walked on, neither saying a word. 

            Kurama watched them for a bit, then sighed slightly to himself and headed off home. 

JessyR writes:

Yo, Aspen! What's up? I'm sorry I haven't called u in a while! My budget just can't handle long distance. 

OMG!!!!! You'll never guess what happened! I'd so excited i can hardly type! MATT ASKED ME OUT!!!!! OMG!! Isn't that great! You're the first one I've told so far! I'm so happy! He's absolutely wonderful! He's handsome and smart and sweet…

So what's going on with you? *wink wink* How about that guy you were going to see last time I called? You sounded totally smitten. (that's so unlike you) Anyway, email me back as soon as u get the chance! ^^

Luv,

Jess

Aspen sighed a bit and brushed a shiny strand of black hair out of her face. She was elated when she opened her inbox and found an email from Jess. Now the happiness was replaced by a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Two blows in one day. Well, not really. Just one blow and a problem. It wasn't so bad. Life goes on.  

AR-sama writes: 

            OMG Jess! I'm so happy for you! Matt's a great guy! I sure hope everything works out for u guys! Keep me posted! I want to hear ALL the details! (Well – u kno what I mean – not ALL of them!) *wink*           It's alright about not calling. I've been really busy, so I probably couldn't talk anyway. School's HARD over here! About that guy – it was nothing. We went out a few times, but it didn't work out. (Not that I want to dampen ur mood with bad news! ^^) 

Congrats!

Aspen

            Aspen hovered over the "send" button, then resolutely clicked it. Her best friend didn't need to worry over the knowledge that she was dating her ex-boyfriend and longtime crush, even if she didn't like him anymore that way since meeting the fox. It was better left unsaid. 

            Aspen ran a soft brush through her hair in an attempt to sooth herself. Her music was humming softly in the CD player, though she didn't feel like dancing as she usually did. 

            She winced when a particularly vicious tug pulled a few hairs from her head. Was there something seriously wrong with her? Bad karma? (She almost laughed at herself for that one) Bad vibes? Bad personality? Or was it something as shallow as her looks? Every time she wanted to get close to a guy, she got hurt. Every single fucking time. (Not that there had been many) 

            But that damn KISS! What the hell had that been? The nerve of him – go and kiss her like that when she was vulnerable, then tell her he didn't like her that way! He had serious problems if he thought he could mess with her like that. 

            And DESPITE all that crap, she STILL liked him! She couldn't forget the helpless pain in his eyes when he was talking to her… 

*** ~ * ~ * ~ ***

**DMG: We updated something, precious! We did! Sorry this one's kind of depressing…  *ducks* I'm writing this on a SNOW DAY!!! Yippee!!  No school! Too bad I have to go back tomorrow.. Oh, well! Everyone who reviewed me last time, I'm sorry I can't thank you personally, but my email got dumped and my internet time's shortened. I'll reply when I get the chance! For now, thank you all so much! Reviews mean the world to me!      **


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